The Stunning Transformation Of HGTV's John Gidding: From Curb Appeal In '99 To Now

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Best-known for his work on "Curb Appeal," "Home Free," and "Trading Spaces," John Gidding became one of HGTV's most lusted-after stars in the 2010s thanks to his natural charisma, a fashion sense as sharp as his eye for design, and the kind of swoonsome handsome features that could — and indeed did — grace the cover of romantic novels. It's little surprise, therefore, that the home improvement favorite has been crowned as one of the 50 most beautiful people at Yale University and as one of the 50 most eligible bachelors in Boston.

Of course, there's more to Gidding's rise to fame than his good looks. He's graced everything from Harvard glee clubs to the Beijing Olympics, founded his own company, and been wed to one of San Francisco's most acclaimed young ballet dancers. Here's a closer look at his remarkable transformation — professionally, personally, and aesthetically — since the turn of the century.

Born and raised in the Turkish city of Istanbul, John Gidding graduated from Switzerland's Leysin American School before heading to aYale University to study architecture and then gained his Masters in architecture at Harvard.

So what attracted him to go down such a path? Well, Gidding believes it was a self-fulfilling prophecy. "I do remember when I was a very small child, someone asking me what I wanted to be when I grew up," he recalled to Archinect. "When I told them, 'I don't know,' they asked me what I was good at, to which I answered, 'Math and Art.' The person (I wish I remembered who it was!) said, 'Oh, then you should be an architect!' So from that point on during my childhood, whenever people would ask the question, I'd always tell them I wanted to be an architect."

Of course, as we all know from the copious amounts of television work he'd enjoyed over the years, Gidding decided to explore other career avenues, too. But he's always kept one foot in the architecture world. "It has a certain pull on my heart that even now I can't deny — who knows, I might go back into it someday," he added. "If my history is any indication, I'm already overdue for a career overhaul again."

John Gidding's TV career began when he was cast on ABC Family's "Knock First." But this was no ordinary design show. Indeed, while its aim was to transform the bedroom of one lucky youngster in 24 hours, the professionals on board had to sit back and watch the child's friends carry out all the work.

Gidding had actually put himself forward for another makeover show which, left a longer impression. Yes, he auditioned for the role of Culture Vulture on the original "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy" but was unfortunately passed over in favor of actor/musician Jai Rodriguez. Here's what the cast looks like today. 

However, the setback didn't deter Gidding from chasing his small screen dreams. "Once you do a little bit of television, it stays in the ether," he told Richmond Magazine several years later. "Right after that show I worked for a landscape architecture firm ... but sure enough, with a little bit of TV out there, I soon got a call from HGTV."

As a well-respected designer, architect, and HGTV personality, John Gidding is obviously more than a pretty face. But he's not afraid to use what his momma gave him. Indeed, before making it to the small screen, the multi-talent spent his days modeling for high-end fashion brands such as Gucci and Versace.

In an interview with Mpls St Paul, Gidding argued that the skills he learned in this glamorous field were transferable to his later line of work. "Whether you're singing or walking down a catwalk or trying to convince your client to build something you proposed, you're always performing. The whole process of design is so embedded in how well you can speak to what you're trying to build that it can make or break your entire career. Those things actually really prepared me to be better at my work today."

Gidding had never actually planned to pursue a career in modeling. He didn't get his break at a casting call, but on the street when he was approached by someone organizing a photoshoot for college-aged people. Despite the fact that he was several years past this particular demographic, the Turkish-American ran with it, and the rest is history.

In 2012, a very smiley John Gidding was pictured hugging Dianna Agron at the 23rd Annual GLAAD Media Awards staged at the Marriott Marquis in San Francisco. The latter, of course, is known for playing singing cheerleader Quinn Fabray in the phenomenon that was "Glee." But it turns out that the former was no stranger to the world of a cappella clubs, either.

Indeed, while studying architecture at Yale University, Gidding somehow found the time to participate in the Yale Glee Club. At Harvard, the designer also continued to show off his dulcet tones in the Harvard-Radcliffe Collegium Musicum.

Singing isn't the only musical pursuit Gidding enjoys, either. Speaking to Metro Weekly in 2019, the HGTV regular revealed that he'd recently started tinkling the ivories again. In fact, when he moved from New York to California, the only belongings he brought with him were his two cats, his clothes, and his piano!

You might not be aware that John Gidding brought his talents to the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Not as an athlete, of course, but as a designer of one of its pavilions. Unfortunately, the HGTV star didn't find the experience of working on such a grand event gold medal-worthy.

"That Beijing project was crazy difficult — and not for the reason you might think," Gidding recalled in an interview with Windy City Times. "It was great going to China, working with the Chinese, and trying to source bamboo and stainless steel. It was a cool experience, but I didn't get along very well with my boss. He's a talented architect, and I was a young, eager architect, but it just wasn't working out — so I had to quit that job."

Gidding, whose resume also includes design work for Brooklyn Bridge Park, Carnegie Mellon University, and New York's Union Square, went on to add that his previous employer, Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates, had set the standards he still lives by: "Michael is the landscape architect of the century. He's so brilliant, and he heads the landscape project at Harvard. So after having that experience, I wasn't going to spoil my day-to-day, so I quit."

Perhaps keen to avoid his negative experience at the Beijing Olympics, John Gidding decided to set up his own eponymous firm in New York, luckily at a time when demand for high-end property interior design was reaching an all-time high.

Of course, Gidding has been more than willing to offer tips and advice for free, whether during the multiple HGTV shows he's graced or in interviews with the media. While chatting to Windy City Press, for example, he revealed that a property's front door can make a notable difference to curb appeal. "It draws the eye to the entrance, which is what you want to do anyway; you can use a good path, lighting. It can also allow the homeowner to express a little personality and a stylistic approach that the rest of the house cannot afford. A front door can hold a bright color fine, or it can have a classic look. I say go bright and go bold."

Gidding also showed his entrepreneurial spirit by launching a range of blinds inspired by men's fabrics. And he makes his own furniture, too. "I like fabrication techniques that are technologically minded — therefore, they come with a bit of a higher expense right off the bat, so they're hard to mass-produce," he explained to Metro Weekly.

John Gidding no doubt had to pinch himself when he joined the revival of "Trading Spaces." The Ivy League graduate first got hooked on design television when he watched the original back in the 2000s. In fact, he once queued for hours just to get Vern Yip's autograph.

While the show didn't last anywhere near as long the second time around — it was canceled after just two seasons — Gidding bounced back with "Curb Appeal Xtreme," having previously served as a designer on "Curb Appeal: The Block." His HGTV resume also includes "Designed to Sell," "Home Free," and "HGTV Summer Showdown." But he also ventured to the LGBTQ network Logo in 2014 when he joined the cast of "Queer Eye"-esque "Secret Guide to Fabulous."

But Gidding remains modest about the success he's enjoyed when pivoting to the small screen. When discussing his first ever gig with Philly Mag, the Turkish-American said, "... They ended up picking me because I was going to architecture school and they were hammering into us the notion of talking the talk. On TV, you just open your mouth, and if what comes out sounds good, you have a career." Here's a look at the design stars who have brutally turned on HGTV.

Although John Gidding's mother was friends with several members of the LGBTQ community, she found it difficult to accept her own son's coming out during his graduation school years. In fact, after finding out, she didn't speak to the HGTV star for approximately 12 months.

It actually took one of the darkest days in modern American history for the pair to reconcile, as Gidding explained to Metro Weekly: "My mom and I actually started talking on 9/11 because one of the planes had taken off from Boston, and that's where I had been at the time. 'Okay, let's put this petty stuff aside and reconnect.' I wouldn't say that my mom has fully come around, but she's gotten much better."

But while Gidding's mother took her time in coming to terms with his sexuality, his father offered his support straight away. Indeed, he'd already prepared for the scenario with a handwritten message he kept on his person at all times: "So when I told him I was gay, he pulled it out of his pocket and quietly handed it over to me. This was at a time when "The Lion King" was very popular. And it just said, 'Hakuna matata.'"

John Gidding broke the hearts of many HGTV viewers in 2013 when he officially took himself off the shelf by walking down the aisle with ballet dancer Damian Smith. And judging by his interview with Windy City Times a year later, it appeared to be love at first sight.

"You go out on a date, and you're like, 'We should do that again,' and you keep in touch," Gidding recalled his first meeting with Smith — best known for his work with the San Francisco Ballet — which was arranged online. "He proposed to me three months after we met — and I was looking for a ring at the same time. When it's right, it's right."

Unfortunately, the marriage barely lasted longer than the "Trading Spaces" reboot. Indeed, just three years after saying "I do," Gidding and Smith headed for the divorce courts. And the former admitted to Metro Weekly that the experience has left him approaching relationships in a different way: "Now I am a little more cautious. I used to kind of leap into things. Long story short: I'm single and dipping my toe in dating."

Okay, so he might not yet be rivaling the continually evolving Madonna when it comes to reinventing his look. But HGTV star John Gidding still likes to mix things up when it comes to his appearance from time to time. Even if that just means sporting a little extra facial hair.

In an interview with Metro Weekly, Gidding revealed that he was currently so bearded that it compelled his mom to speak out. "Because in Turkey, for many Muslims, the beard is a religious expression," he explained. "It's weird, just the cultural sort of flavors of your looks can be so different country to country. You don't want to be seen as too religious in my family."

Gidding, who first relied on his handsome features to pursue a career as a model, also acknowledged that his desire to change his image might not be entirely superficial. "I like my privacy, and I don't know if my different looks is a defense mechanism or just because I like costuming, but I'm not as recognizable [with] that. I feel like in the future people are gonna be wanting 15 minutes of anonymity rather than fame. People will be dreaming, 'Oh my gosh, when will my 15 minutes of anonymity be?'" Here are several other celebs who've revealed the secrets behind their changing looks over the years.

From Turkey and Switzerland to New York and California, John Gidding has called several places home over the years. So it's perhaps little wonder that instead of feeling he belongs to one nationality, he feels like he's a "global citizen."

In a chat with Golden State, the "Curb Appeal" star, who was living in San Francisco at the time, believes that his desire to roam the Earth has had a hugely beneficial impact on his life: "The best thing you can do for yourself in this world is be exposed, because that exposure leads to growth and improvement. I would say I have been exposed to lots of different environments and ecologies, and having been exposed, I thirst for all of them."

Gidding claimed that his globetrotting nature runs in the family; his great-great-grandfather, for example, apparently spent his days roaming around the islands of Italy. But he also acknowledged that there can be both pros and cons to being a nomad: "I think it's a strength, as I try and bring some of it into my work. But it's also in a way a weakness in that I've never built strong roots in any city." Here's a look at the transformation of another "Trading Spaces" star, Ty Pennington.